Each of the finalists receives $10,000; the winner gets an additional $50,000. The winner will be announced on March 10th, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The 6 shortlisted books are chosen from 131 entries: “June Rain”, by Lebanon’s Jabbour Douaihy; “In praise of hatred”, by Syria’s Khaled Khalifa; “The land of purgatory”, by Jordan’s Elias Farkouh; and also “Walking in the Dust”, by Lebanon’s May Menassa; “Swan Song”, by Egypt’s Mekkaoui Said; and “Sunset Oasis”, by Baha Taher, also from Egypt.
Some details about the IPAF
The IPAF was officially launched in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in April 2007. It is the result of a collaborative effort by the Booker Prize Foundation, the Emirates Foundation and the Weidenfeld Institute for Strategic Dialogue, whose aim was to develop a dedicated prize for Arabic fiction.

The Booker prize foundation, is a prestigious literary prize established in 1968, awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of either the Commonwealth of Nations or the Republic of Ireland. A Russian version of the Booker Prize was created in 1992 and an African version, the “Caine Prize”, was launched in 2000.

The winner of the Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and success. It is also a mark of distinction for authors to be nominated for the Booker longlist or selected for inclusion in the shortlist.

Jonathan Taylor, chairman of the Booker Prize Foundation, stressed that one of the IPAF’s goals was to “secure recognition, reward and readership for outstanding Arabic fiction of the highest quality.” He also said the prize would sponsor translation of the winning book into other languages. For more information on the IPAF, click here.